Indonesia and France agreed to deepen long-term cooperation in higher education, science, and technology, with a focus on innovation, university partnerships, and expanded student and researcher mobility.
Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto met French Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN, Fabien Penone, in Jakarta on Monday to reaffirm commitments to strengthening strategic collaboration between institutions in both countries, the ministry said.
"We hope this initiative will further strengthen cooperation between universities in both countries, while opening broader opportunities for grants and collaboration,” Brian said in a statement on Wednesday.
The talks highlighted the Indonesia-France Year of Innovation, a flagship bilateral initiative covering higher education, research, innovation, and academic exchanges, approved by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The initiative will feature academic activities while also developing long-term strategies and a joint roadmap to guide bilateral cooperation in science, technology, and innovation, according to Indonesia’s education ministry.
France pledged support to bring leading French universities to Indonesia and to expand scholarship and student mobility programs in cooperation with Indonesia’s Endowment Fund for Education Agency (LPDP).
Donatienne Hissard, Director-General of Campus France, said roughly 1,000 Indonesian students are currently studying in France, a figure France hopes to increase through expanded cooperation programs, according to the official website of Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
Penone said France decided to extend its successful joint LPDP master’s scholarship program to the doctoral level, citing strong demand and positive outcomes.
The number of Indonesian students studying in France doubled within a year due to the special LPDP-France program, an expansion of Indonesia’s general LPDP scholarship scheme, Penone said.
Interest among French students in Indonesian universities is also rising, with both sides exploring joint degree and double degree programs to deepen academic cooperation.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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